Assimilation is imminent - 2001 Miata, 18K mi, what would you pay? Performance improvements, too?

Keith Tanner wrote: All NBs had glass windows from the factory. Depending on the design of the aftermarket top, you may not be able to get a zip-in glass replacement. That would only work if you had an NA top, which won't actually fit on an NB frame. FYI.

Thats what I thought. I understand a 13 year old car needing a replacement top, but with such low miles, how worn out could the top be? Could have been due to vandalism but still cutting corners does not bode well from a lot asking at least 50-150% more than the car is really worth.

Even if it was in perfect condition and it was the actual special edition BRG car (which in both cases it appears not to be), I would STILL not pay that kind of money for it.

It's not a Ferrari. They made almost a hundred thousand of these things. Painting it a different color and adding some other appearance items does not make it a collectible. The main problem with it ever being collectible is that none of these cars will ever die except via catastrophic accident. They are all virtually bulletproof mechanically and they don't rust for the most part.

You can get a halfway decent Porsche Boxster for that kinda cash.

Harvey wrote: The main problem with it ever being collectible is that none of these cars will ever die except via catastrophic accident. They are all virtually bulletproof mechanically and they don't rust for the most part.

OK, I admit this may sound like a troll comment, though it's not meant to. My idea of the perfect collectable is it will never die except by catastrophic accident or from rust.

I invest my money where I expect to actually make money. That's called doing business, not as I see it, collecting.

I don't invest in cars to make money because then they aren't cars any longer. They're now investments & in the same category as stocks or other properties that need to be stashed away and protected to hopefully bring a profit in the future. That's again, doing business.

I don't think the original starter of this thread intended his potential Miata purchase to be an investment either.

Rupert wrote: I don't think the original starter of this thread intended his potential Miata purchase to be an investment either.

Sure, but some suggested that if it was a BRG special edition it is a "collectible" as a possible justification for the price, I was just throwing out a counter point to that.

Sort of moot anyway since it's clear the dealer is just high as a kite with the pricing.

Rupert wrote: OK, I admit this may sound like a troll comment, though it's not meant to. My idea of the perfect collectable is it will never die except by catastrophic accident or from rust.

The perfect collectible is where all of them die except the one that YOU own, leaving you with the only one left in the world. :)